The Husband loves Bing Crosby's Christmas music. You'd think it'd be possible to eventually get tired of it, but I've got no evidence he ever will. We have 3 Bing Crosby Christmas CDs he has picked up through the years. White Christmas, pictured above, is one of them. You can sample the tracks from the Amazon link.

The Grandmother was not favorably impressed by A Chorus Line, but I enjoyed it. I had seen it several times before, but she never had. She said, "I haven't seen any of the new movies." I told her it came out 26 years ago, but that seems new to her. The only thing that interested her was that Theatre Memphis had done it years ago. She said she could see why it would be popular with community theaters. It's directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Michael Douglas as the director of a new Broadway musical just beginning auditions. Terrance Mann (who was in Solarbabies and Mrs. Santa Clause, but we won't hold that against him) is the assistant choreographer.

Thousands of talented dancers and singers flock to New York City every year with hopes of landing a role in a Broadway musical.... This screen adaptation of the Broadway musical offers a loving tribute to these "gypsies" and the gusto they bring to their craft.

A Very Special Christmas is a compilation of a variety of artists who combine forces to benefit Special Olympics. It starts off with The Pointer Sisters singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and includes the Eurythmics, Sting, U2, Bob Seger and others on 15 tracks.

Sting's contribution to "A Very Special Christmas" -"Gabriel's Message":

I'm not a big fan, and I never listen to this one more than once a season. I should probably see if one of the kids wants it so it can have a home where it's more appreciated.

The first time I heard of Wilson Phillips and who they were I had this wave of nostalgia, so when I saw their Christmas cd Christmas in Harmony at Spin Street I bought it. It's not nearly as much fun as I wanted it to be. I listened to the entire cd, but kept finding myself annoyed and wanting to turn it off. If I want a girl group's take on Christmas I'll listen to Play again.

I really thought this one would make a hit with The Grandmother, but as soon as the end credits started rolling she got up and left the room. Neither of us had seen it before, although I'd seen enough bits and pieces on tv to know it was worth watching. The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 drama that takes place mostly in Shawshank prison. It's based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. James Whitmore has a role as the elderly prison librarian who has difficulty on the outside when paroled after spending most of his life in prison. I enjoyed watching it, even though it's a bit more sentimental than I generally like.

the film's naïve sentimentality undermines serious issues of violence, rape, manhood, and male bonding. Indeed, after the Sisters are silenced, Darabont cranks up the unilateral act of hero worship: prison goes from being "mean and scary" to, well, "cute." Andy writes letters in order to get books into the prison library, starts doing everyone's taxes, and wins the hearts of guards and prisoners alike. Someone should bake a pie. Oh, wait, they do!

When this one was over and I asked The Grandmother what she thought of it, she said, "I didn't think much of it." Neither of us had seen it. Chicago is a 2002 musical starring Richard Gere as a high-powered high-cost defense attorney, Rene Zellweger as wanna-be vaudeville star Roxie who kills her lover, Catherine Zeta-Jones as a showgirl who kills her sister, Queen Latifah as the prison matron "Mama" and John C. Reilly as Roxie's dupe of a husband. I got a kick out of it.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

I don't remember where this CD came from, but it hasn't gotten a lot of play around here. 1940's Christmas has 10 tracks of Christmas music by artists like Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Petula Clark... You can listen to samples at the Amazon.com page and pick it up through one of their links for as little as a buck 99. It's not my kind of thing, but for $1.99 it adds some variety to our Christmas music.

Admirers of Byrd's music may immediately be struck not only by the fact that the majority of works on this disc are heard rarely in performance (not to mention on disc) but also that many of them sound unlike what we have come to accept as "typically Byrd". In his early manuscript works one hears the strong influence of the music of John Sheppard and Thomas Tallis, although at this stage Byrd already carries a distinct voice of his own.

This was long for us at 130 minutes, but I took The Red Violin to The Grandmother's and we watched it during supper. I had some of the rest of the chili, which she has inexplicably started refusing to eat, and she had (and ate some of) raisin bread cheese toast and chicken soup. But I'd better not get started on our food issues. I loved this movie. I loved the music, the way the film was structured, the cinematography.... I would watch it again any time.

One of the Nineties' more sweeping, elegant epics that often seems to be lost in the shuffle, director Francois Girard's The Red Violin (or Le Violon Rouge, if you prefer) is a full-blooded motion picture experience, a romantic ode to the power of art that grips you from the opening moments and does not let go. It's one of the decade's unsung classics.

Reel Views says, "The Red Violin is a beautifully composed motion picture. At times, it's a near-perfect mingling of the visual and the audio." Salon.com didn't like it, concluding that it

has marvelous cinematography, a clever structure and a beautiful score by the eminent American composer John Corigliano, but what it doesn’t have is any coherent story to tell, or any reason to exist beyond admiring its own beauty.

I had never seen this movie, though I'd seen bits and pieces of it on tv through the years. I took it to The Grandmother's, who also hadn't seen it. She was surprised Vivien Leigh had been in it when she saw her name in the end credits; she hadn't recognized her. A Streetcar Named Desire also stars Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. It is directed by Elia Kazan. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to see this. I think it would've made a great piece to explore as part of the high school curriculum.

trailer:

Roger Ebert considers it one of the greats and says this of Brando's performance:

you could make a good case that no performance had more influence on modern film acting styles than Brando's work as Stanley Kowalski, Tennessee Williams' rough, smelly, sexually charged hero

Friday, November 25, 2011

This recording presents a reconstruction of the service for Advent with Carols and within the space available preserves as many aspects as possible of the service as it might be heard on Advent Sunday from St. John's....The service blends traditional plainsong antiphons, carols and carol-anthems alongside readings and Collects.

The neighbors weren't home, but they had left their windows open and their dogs set on bark-nonstop. Music was called for to drown out the incessant barking, so I put on the first Christmas cd of this season: Sting's If On a Winter's Night.... I think this was new to us last year, but maybe not. I don't have the cd with the bonus tracks.

A few years ago I started buying Christmas cds that were more non-traditional, as I wanted more variety in my seasonal listening. This aids that quest.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Green Lantern is a 2011 action film based on the comic strip character with the same name. It was fun to watch, but I didn't feel any chemistry at all between the leads and the fight training sequences were a bit lame. It left open the possibility for a sequel, but I'll be surprised if there is one.

trailer:

Moria says, "As comic-book adaptations go, Green Lantern holds up as one of the better". Salon.com has several reviews, none of which seem enthusiastic. Roger Ebert likes it better than Thor, which concerns me, as I haven't seen Thor.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Though a pretty darned bad film, I did like the fact that the bulk of the film's sentiment favors the Apache avenger Yellow Shirt, whose violent cause is just. I got a modicum of entertainment out of this Z western, but couldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a soft spot for amateur filmmaking.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I took Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to watch with The Grandmother because it's one of my favorite of the Disneys. She didn't remember seeing it even though she said she was working and could afford movie-going at the time. She did remember her Uncle Walter being excited about taking Great Aunt Frankie to see it. After we watched it she remembered having seen it before, most likely with us when we were young or with her grandchildren during one of its re-releases. Adriana Caselotti voices Snow White.

It was well-received when it was first released. Moria calls it "a genuine classic". It's on Roger Ebert's list of great movies, and he closes his review with this:

It remains the jewel in Disney's crown, and although inflated modern grosses have allowed other titles to pass it in dollar totals, it is likely that more people have seen it than any other animated feature. The word genius is easily used and has been cheapened, but when it is used to describe Walt Disney, reflect that he conceived of this film, in all of its length, revolutionary style and invention, when there was no other like it--and that to one degree or another, every animated feature made since owes it something.

6/15/2012: The Husband chose this to watch tonight. It'd been a long time since he'd seen it.

Monday, November 21, 2011

The Grandmother hadn't seen this one and neither had I. When I told her it came out in 1933 and asked her if she'd seen it, she said, "I was in 10th grade that year, and we didn't go to many movies then." Queen Christina stars Greta Garbo (in what The Younger Son tells me is one of her better roles), John Gilbert and Ian Keith. The film is loosely based on historical characters.

trailer:

It got good reviews when it was released. Slant Magazine calls it "an uneven spectacle" but says,

The famous last close-up of her impassive face in Queen Christina is one of those movie things that you never get over, an endless subject for contemplation.

Roger Ebert calls it "a sound, entertaining work of craftsmanship, a love story between two people whose meet is not as cute as it might have been." BBC gives it 3 out of 5 stars. TimeOut gives it a positive review.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

It'd been blows and stretches since I'd seen An American in Paris, and it turned out The Grandmother had never seen it. How is it that a 93 year old woman who would've been around 30 years old and childless when it played in theaters and who has had cable for over 10 years has never seen this film? Well, she's seen it now, and her response was that it was the kind of movie one of her brothers would've liked. "You know... anything musical." lol It was fun to watch it again, and, of course, Gene Kelly is always worth seeing. In addition to Gene Kelly, it stars Leslie Caron in her first film, Oscar Levant, Nina Foch and Georges Guetary. It's directed by Vincente Minnelli.

The all-around tone of the film is jaunty, with gorgeous sets and likable actors strutting their stuff without a whiff of self-consciousness. Declaring that they don't make them like An American in Paris anymore wouldn't be a cliché, it's a simple fact.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I was driving south on Highland last night when I saw a dark figure in the headlights of a car in front of me. The wheelchair was headed southeast, crossing the street catty-corner. It's a miracle s/he made it across safely, as there was traffic coming from both directions.

The Silence (1963) is the 3rd film in Bergman's trilogy and my least favorite of the lot. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I'm getting enough sister drama in my own life right now. It stars Ingrid Thulin as Ester, the cold, controlling older sister whose illness forces a stop in the journey; Gunnel Lindblom as Anna, the sensual, resentful younger sister; and Jorgen Lindstrom as Anna's young son.

trailer:

I'm glad I didn't see the trailer first; I would've expected an entirely different movie.

Senses of Cinema says it "is one of Ingmar Bergman’s most important and most perfect films, marking a high point in his distinctive formal experimentation". filmref.com describes it as "an examination of emotional isolation in a world without God - where salvation lies in human connection." Roger Ebert has it on his list of great films. Only the Cinema says,

the film is about much more than the absence of faith: it is about the myriad ways in which communication can fail, the ways that speech and language can drive people apart rather than bringing them closer to mutual understanding

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Grand Duel is a Lee Van Cleef Spaghetti Western from 1972. I'm a fan of Lee Van Cleef, and his presence in a movie is enough for me to watch it, but this one has other interests besides Van Cleef. The villain is priceless.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Winter Light (1962), the 2nd in Ingmar Bergman's trilogy, stars Gunnar Bjornstrand as a pastor in crisis, Ingrid Thulin as a schoolmarm and the pastor's former lover, and Max von Sydow as a parishioner contemplating suicide. I must see this one again. I was so drawn to the characters' faces that I kept forgetting to read the subtitles. I'm watching these films alone; The Younger Son doesn't like Bergman, and The Husband and The Daughter don't like subtitles.

trailer:

The New Yorker says, "It is a harrowing experience, this film". FilmRef.com calls it "Perhaps the most spiritually bleak and visually stark of Ingmar Bergman's religious chamber series". Roger Ebert considers it a great film. Senses of Cinema writes:

Technically, the film is flawless – no single shot could be removed without damaging the overall effect. It is as if Bergman assembled the raw materials to tell his story, as raw as he could make them, then placed them in front of Sven Nykvist’s camera with as little emphasis as possible

Slant Magazine says, "to my mind it is one of the most profound examinations of Christianity and its imprisoning tenets". DVD Talk calls it "one of Bergman's most austere and compelling films" and says,

Winter Light is an agonizing, deceptively simple work that ranks among Bergman's finest efforts. It is thoroughly and completely uncompromising in its vision of absolute spiritual despair and hunger.

Slant Magazine gives it 2 out of 4 stars, has praise only for Rains, calls it "an insanely over-elaborate, marathon soap opera" and says, "This is a star vehicle in extremis. There's no movie here, really, just Davis and her Role." TimeOut gives it a bad review. DVD Talk calls the film "impressive" and particularly praises a few of Rains' moments. Rotten Tomatoes

Friday, November 11, 2011

I had to walk home from The Grandmother's apartment tonight -there's a long sad car-trouble story there, but I'll skip it for now. I picked a well-lit route and headed out. I have some things to say:

to the guys in the little white car who rolled down their windows and barked at me (hooted? yelped? what was that sound?) as they came up behind me and were still dying laughing as I passed them stopped at the red light: you give the phrase "barking mad" a whole new meaning. I have to say I have never been that hard up for entertainment at 8:00 on a Friday night.

to the very dark figure on the unlit bicycle riding against the traffic: you're supposed to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, but since you were breaking every other road rule, I don't know why I expected it.

to the City of Memphis: I think those corner cuts on sidewalks are a wonderful idea, but what the hell good are they if the sidewalks are blocked with debris or construction cones or are so broken they have to be jumped over?

Loser is a 1993 Beck song. I remember this one from its release, which is odd because that was after I'd quit keeping up with popular music. "I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me." I heard it the other day on the radio, probably WEVL.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

They may not look like much now, but I have high hopes. I sacrificed boxwoods for them. They came from Dan West, though I admit I didn't look there first. The Husband found them for me. They are 3 different varieties, so I'm wondering if there'll be a difference in how well they do.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Last month The Daughter and I went to Audubon Park. This poor lonely duck was off by itself, separate from the large group of ducks and geese a little further down the bank. None of them were hungry for The Daughter's donut; bread was scattered all over the place, so they had had their fill.

The weather was warm and sunny, and the leaves had started to turn. We saw several turtles, and The Daughter took a picture of this one:

We had a lovely time.

Afterwards I took The Daughter, The Elder Son and The Younger Son to the Belmont Grill for lunch, but I didn't take pictures of that. The food was great, though.

1000 Misspent Hours likes it and says, "only rarely has he [Cronenberg] displayed such mastery of characterization as he does here." Moria gives it a good review and says, "His [Cronenberg's] is a darker, inner vision of the story where the original idea has been colluded with Cronenberg’s frequent bodily horror obsessions." Slant Magazine closes by saying, "In its galvanizing portrait of a body ravaged and sexual stasis infected by bugs, The Fly might be Cronenberg's most direct horror film ever."

It is a bit slow-paced, and it is a bit short on action, but characterizations and atmosphere are strong, and that uneasy relationship between an older man and his weak-willed foster son is quite unique within the genre

Sunday, November 06, 2011

I've read the book -the original version of it, anyway- and I've seen The Stand before. It's a 1994 mini-series based on the Stephen King novel. Last week we watched the whole thing in one sitting. One could never call it subtle, but it's fun.

here are the first few minutes:

Mutant Reviewers calls it "excellent". EW likes it and says, "The Stand isn't so much a horror tale as it is an epic fantasy with the kitchen sink tossed in." DVD Talk concludes their review with this:

I loved this damned movie! I loved the damned book! Most of all, I loved the damned DVD! This is one of the scariest movies ever made.

I don't know why I continue to torture myself with these lists. They are filled with movies I've either never heard of or, if I have heard of them, never seen. I can't stop myself, though. I've seen the ones in bold print. The Big Lebowski, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Taxi Driver are in my to-be-watched stack.

The Fury of the Wolfman is one of a series of Spanish films starring Paul Naschy in the title role. This one was apparently made in 1970 but not released until 1972. There were about 12 of these, but they are not sequels, are independent of each other and can be watched in any order. This is the first one I remember seeing, and it was fun enough, with a wild hairy man, a cold controlling female scientist, a young woman in love with the wild man... What's not to like?

The video presentation below is hosted by Count Gore De Vol:

Weird Wild Realm says, "This is one of the all-time worst werewolf films in existence, but so "busy" with ridiculous content that it can be great fun". MSN has some information.

Moria calls it " routine". 1000 Misspent Hours says, "of the greatest importance, Francis Lederer nails pretty much every aspect of this subtle and multifaceted role" and "On the technical side, Terror Is a Man is one of the most beautifully shot movies I’ve seen in quite some time." Stomp Tokyo says,

if you care at all about movies like this, it is an intriguing and wonderful thing - the mad scientist as normal.... for the completist, those like me who habitually seek out each and every horror movie they have ever heard about in their misspent life, the changes the movie makes on its tired old tropes can be nicely refreshing.

DVD Talk calls it "an eerie and atmospheric tale that's more enjoyable than it has any right to be" and closes by saying, "Technically it is a solid film with good composition and careful lighting and that goes a long way towards making it a fun movie." AMCtv has an overview and other information, as does TCM.